My Elk/Deer rifle is a Ruger M77 international in .308 with Nikon 3X9 glass. It's never let me down. My Dad shot his last Elk at 200+ yards, open sights, using a pre 64 Winchester 30-06. He was 71 yrs old. Noslers in both. Bullet placement is the most important factor.

September 30th, 2009, 10:44 PM

P7fanatic

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayzor

From RamRod
6.5x55 Swede....that's what they use for large game over yonder, and it's what I'm going to use again this year for my big buck. 140gr A-Max is wonderful. Best kept secret because when you say it, others laugh. Well, I say go ahead and let them laugh. I can load a 160gr SP in this cartridge. Ballistic coefficients are awesome.

I've got 2 swedes that my dad bought over 40 yrs ago. Have taken plenty of mulies, but I've wondered about the effectiveness w/ elk. I'll be putting in again for a tag this year and hope to get drawn for next fall for elk. Not in the budget to upgrade the rifle, so I'll be using the 6.5x55. Any experience w/ the swede on animals larger than deer.

For anyone planning to use the 6.5x55 Swede on elk or whatever, on the other side of the pond they use it to take down Moose. You might try some Norma 156 gr Oryx or Lapua 155 gr Mega.

:urla9ub:

September 30th, 2009, 11:20 PM

gunthorp

Heck, I know of a 25-06 taking elk with one shot at 500yds. For a rifleman, any gun will do. One of our members took two huge bulls at 700 yds with two quick consecutive shots. DRT both. At that range, and on that big of a critter, he used a 338. Personally, I use a red dot on my 308 for deer. When I go out west, I use a Nikon 4-16X42 mil dot on my 338 and Nosler 250 partitions in the rifle's favorite handloads. Macho 'nough fer ya.

In the end, he should bring the gun he knows and already has confidence with. He could try shooting at a few longer ranges to see how it works. Even a new, expensive, flat shooting, wonder gun can miss.

September 30th, 2009, 11:36 PM

ExSoldier

In 1983, I took an elk with a Super Blackhawk 44 magnum. But if I really wanted to anchor one of those, I'd seriously go with a 375 H&H Magnum.

October 1st, 2009, 08:59 AM

Cuda66

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExSoldier

In 1983, I took an elk with a Super Blackhawk 44 magnum. But if I really wanted to anchor one of those, I'd seriously go with a 375 H&H Magnum.

Why in the world would one want to choose a .375 H&H? If the shot is placed correctly, it's not going to kill an elk any deader than a .308, or even a .243 will...all you're going to get is heavier recoil, probably a heavier rifle, and much more expensive ammunition...

.375 is what one needs for cape buffalo, not elk; it's like saying one needs a .300 mag to take whitetails...:rolleyes:

October 1st, 2009, 05:24 PM

MJK

I have a good friend who will do his first elk hunt this fall. He also asked about bullet weight with 30-06; I recommend 180 gr or over by any of the reputable manufacturers. I'm kind of partial to Barnes TSX myself.

October 2nd, 2009, 07:35 AM

NativH

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cuda66

Why in the world would one want to choose a .375 H&H? .375 is what one needs for cape buffalo, not elk; it's like saying one needs a .300 mag to take whitetails...:rolleyes:

Must have been hunting some of those mankiller elk. :danceban:

And FWIW, I do see a lot of folks using 300 mag's on little ole whitetails. Don't understand the need either, but..........

October 2nd, 2009, 10:36 AM

SIXTO

For a one time elk hunt, I'd have to stick with a 30-06 or 308. It will do the job just fine, and still be used later on whitetails or any other large game you will fined in the America's.

October 2nd, 2009, 03:49 PM

sixball

7 MM mag. I think it may be the best all around cal.
I have a 30 06 and the 7MM if you will be taking long shots is so much flatter and fast. and is still good on a white tail ( JMHO)

October 2nd, 2009, 04:09 PM

atctimmy

If the man plans to hunt inside of 300 yards why not take the old 30-06 and save some money (provided it shoots straight). If he already has a 30-06 he doesn't need another. A good 3x9 scope is all the glass you need for any hunt.

Now if he wants to buy a gun specific to mountain elk hunting I would suggest a lightweight rifle in a WSM or RSAUM caliber.

Remingtons model 7 in 270WSM or 300/7mm rsaum would be ideal. Browning also offers lightweight rifles in all of the WSM calibers.

A good controlled expansion or bonded core bullet of 150 grains or more will do the job. Just find one that shoots well in your gun.

I'd go for a Model 70 supergrade or featherweight in 30-06 with a 3-9 x 42 lens. Anything more is overkill, pure and simple. The higher power the smaller your field of view will be, and large objective lenses just cost a lot more, add excess weight, and are tougher to pack around. I've taken elk with a .243 and a fixed 4x before - not that I'd recommend that to everyone (shot placement much more important), but I'm not one to spend as much on the optics as the rifle. A Leupold VX-1 or Nikkon Buckmaster will do a great job with a price of $230-250. The extra price for anything higher end is simply not worth it. $200 dollar scopes are better today than a $600 dollar scope 15-20 years ago. Spend the money on a great rifle your grandkids could use someday.

October 2nd, 2009, 05:06 PM

ExSoldier

Lots of uses for a 375 H&H...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cuda66

Why in the world would one want to choose a .375 H&H? If the shot is placed correctly, it's not going to kill an elk any deader than a .308, or even a .243 will...all you're going to get is heavier recoil, probably a heavier rifle, and much more expensive ammunition...

.375 is what one needs for cape buffalo, not elk; it's like saying one needs a .300 mag to take whitetails...:rolleyes:

Famed great white hunter Karamojo Bell took Elephant in the 19th century with a 243. He would take the shot thru an eye. Most folks would agree this is a little bit too light a caliber for the game taken. In fact, I think many would agree with a bigger is better philosophy for most large game.

The .375 is the minimum caliber needed for Buff and most folks do go with the larger .416 or .458. Some even go with the older 500 doubles! I was saying that for a large animal like an Elk, a .375 might really ANCHOR it, especially on a shot where range may tend to bleed off foot pounds into the target for a lesser cartridge. I know several Elk hunters who use the .375 in mountainous terrain.

OTOH, I have a buddy with a big sail boat who frequently cruises off shore. He has his dad's old pre-'64 Winchester M70 in .375 H&H and he says it's his "engine room" gun for unfriendly visitors. So it's not like the gun only has a single use. S'pose you're a hunter who intends on going after other big game, potentially dangerous game? I think a .375 would afford some peace of mind in a fluid situation.:image035: But y'all do as you like. :scratchchin: Just my .02 where it is apparently not wanted.... So keep the change.

October 2nd, 2009, 06:09 PM

atctimmy

William Dalrymple Maitland Bell used the 7x57 Mauser to take elephants, not the .243. The .243 was released in 1955. He used the 7x57 as an experiment at first and then because of its reliability. He was an amazing rifleman and was known to shoot birds while in flight with his rifles.

October 2nd, 2009, 08:14 PM

MtflyerHK

Personally I'd stick with a caliber that can easily do Elk, Moose, etc but not be soley for dangerous game (thinking very large caliber here) unless you plan on going to Africa to hunt - and in that case your budget would probably be much larger - but something as classic as a 30-06 would be well suited for deer, and even Antelope or other game in the lower 48. Going much bigger would be much overkill and ruin a lot of meat. Also with a cartrige as common as the 30-06 your ammo will be half that of more rare cartriges. I'd love to shoot my .264 win mag more often but at $40 plus dollars per box of 20 (don't have my own reloading equip yet) I think twice before I take that gun shooting. My .243 and 30-06 will get much more range time because of that alone, and thus arguably more enjoyment.

Of couse my own very humble opinion! :gah::smile:

October 2nd, 2009, 11:00 PM

farronwolf

For North America I don't think you can beat a 30.06, (or .308) for an all around versatile gun. You can go big and relatively slow bullets or light and super fast depending on what you want to shoot at.

Add to that you can go to just about any store that sells ammo and pick it up if you need be.